Design Ignites Change Award

Matthew Heckart (MFAD’10) is a recipient of the 2010 Implementation Award from Design Ignites Change, a monetary grant to further his Masters Thesis “Two Wings.”

“Two Wings” is a creative campaign produced by an international team of animators, designers and musicians, to advocate for LGBT refugees and asylum seekers. Partnering with ORAM (Organization for Refuge, Asylum and Migration). Two Wings creates compelling, original content to generate interest and donations, and to raise awareness about this much-ignored issue. The heart of the Two Wings campaign is a series of short animated films, based on true stories, that recreate the courageous refugee narratives of individual LGBT people. The first four films tell stories from Iran, Iraq, Jamaica and Zimbabwe.

Images and testimonials are essential for effective human rights and humanitarian campaigns. The public must be able to identify with, and feel empathy for, the people who need help. Unlike other, more publicized causes, there are no images that show the struggles of LGBT refugees and asylum seekers escaping persecution.

Animation is an ideal medium for Two Wings; it provides imagery and material that can publicize the issue, without putting anyone at risk. The primary goal is to raise awareness for LGBT refugees and asylum seekers. The central call to action is to encourage participation by watching and sharing Two Wings content.